Welcome to Fat City Cigar Lounge home of a great variety of cool music, outstanding cocktails, good smokes, and lively conversation.

Monday, September 3, 2007

Labor Day Labors - More Tribute to RYP

Labor Day Labors

Hi everyone. We've been working hard at the Lounge cleaning up our mess, and now things are starting to get back in order. We're gearing up for regular hours and have lots of exciting offerings on our plate for today. We're serving up some hot and nasty specials to you -- all free of charge. Come on in, grab some punch and get ready to rumble.

Blue Hawaiians – Live At Lava Lounge 2

Get this baby now!!! A later show by one of my favorite surf-exotica-rockers with a slightly dark edge to their sound. This is an incredibly energetic show, kickin’ in at track 1 with “My Favorite Martian” at over 9 minutes of reverb jam. They really show their musical chops here, almost all the cuts here are extended and the rockers have a full psychedelic buzz that was not as apparent on Live #1. “Dick Tracy” is over 15 minutes long compared to the 6 so it was on the last volume. Not as many vocals here, either.This performance is right up there with the Mermen’s live shows – the best modern surf has to offer.

RYP isn't the only one who can get down hot and nasty. Here is probably the best single collection of great, great, great songs from the early R&B era of the late forties to the mid-fifties which were a little risque, to say the least. Some are well-known such as "Ten-Inch Record," "Sixty Minute Man," and "Work With Me Annie," but other cuts are rare and seldom heard. The songs are catchy, easy to dance to or sing to, and are hilarious. "Sixty Minute Man" is true bravado. " "Big Long Slidin Thing" has the same effect as "Baby Let Me Bang Your Box." Add "Big Ten Inch Record" and 14 others and you have one truly great set. Rhino, of course, does a good job of transferring these songs to a digital format. A good bang for your bucks. If you're hip to double-entendre and euphemisms, you'll roll with laughter and joy at songs like "Walkin' Blues," "Butcher Pete," "10 Inch Record," "Keep On Churnin," "I Love To Play Your Piano," etc. Modern rappers should listen to this to see that you don't have to blatantly curse to be funny. The songs touch on a few taboos of the era. Allusions to homoeroticism are included with "Butcher Pete-Pt.1" by Roy Brown & His Mighty-Mighty Men (unfortunately, Part 2 isn't included on the disc) and "Mountain Oysters" by Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis with The Bill Doggett Trio. These references to homosexuality are more subtle than "Sissy Man Blues" coming up in a later post as part of the Lounge's Blue Light Special.

All the songs are ... suggestive but "Work With Me Annie" by The Royals wins the award for the one tune that puts you into the ... act itself. Listen to the rocking beat, especially the refrain, and tell me you don't believe yourself to be flowin' with the motion and movin' with the groovin.' The beat feels "so good, so good, so good, so good, so good" you know that song is directly responsible for making some babies.

Perhaps the most surprising to me was THE Dinah Washington crooning two sophisticated melodies, "Big, Long Slidin' Thing" and then she expresses her oral tendencies with "Long John Blues." From "Big Ten-Inch Record" by Moose Jackson, the tune that sets the tone for the rest of the collection, to "(I Love To Play Your Piano) Let Me Bang Your Box" by The Toppers, you can't help but get the urge to merge. Let it RYP.

Crunchy Guitar Instros From The ’60s— is an instant Saturday night kegger that features a nice array of hallowed, guitar-slinging heroes. From the eerie sounds of the Rock-A-Teens (used in commercials) to the early sides of Bill Haley and The Comets, Rockin’ Roulette Instrumentals does exactly that. Fun all the way around.

The Ultras are a mostly instrumental rock 'n roll trio from San Francisco formed in 1988 by guitarist Eric "Sludge" Lenchner. 1993 saw the release of the the Ultras only CD, SURF-POP-SLUDGE. Produced by Scott Mathews, the man responsible for the Dick Dale "comeback" CD's on Hightone, "Surf-Pop-Sludge" was a college radio hit, going Top Ten on numerous stations throughout the U.S. In 1995 the Ultras stopped played live shows due to guitarist Lenchner's hearing damage. They have continued to record, and their latest projects are "Rocket Jockey" (CD ROM video game), "Attack of the New Killer Surf Guitars" (compilation featuring Ultras' track "THE ULTRA FACTOR"), and "Just Write" (feature film starring Sherilyn Fenn - soundtrack features "STEEL TWIST" by The Ultras. Their version of Telstar is hilarious, kind of goofy overplayed. Mambo Italiano is a fresh take on a fave dance number.Some of their originals are very original indeed, and defy basic categorization. The sound is polished throughout, the beat is strong, and they are professionally hip.

The Garage / Beat / Punk Rock record kicks off with the weirdest soundtrack to a car ad for a long while. Have Love Will Travel, the Richard Berry classic as mangled by the Sonics, must have helped shift a pile of Land Rovers. Stable-mates the Wailers are next up and out of their trees, a pretty good way to start any garage band selection. OK the Revels is a bit earlier, but a little weirdsville never hurt anyone. These Spiders are not from Mars, but from Japan, where they were doyens of the GS scene in the 60s, as were the Zombies. The Wheels were from Belfast and you better believe it. There are three short sharp bursts of Punk Rock next. The version of Melody Lee by the Damned has never been out before. Finally a return to the garage, though this time for the 80s revival, kicking off with Billy Childish second group Thee Milkshakes and four tracks later their girlfriends the Delmonas. For four years in the early 80s these garage bands were the only people left standing up for real music by real men (& women) against a plethora of haircuts and trousers worn by men playing ironing boards. The Bugs - now they were a band that mysteriously came and went time for a fresh outing. Good solid collection. A true RYPPER.

Have love will travel -- the sonicsOut of our tree---the wailersFoolish woman--- the oxford circleSleepy hollow --- the last wordOutta reach ---sheLie, beg, borrow and steal --mouse and the trapsIntoxica ---the revelsHey boy --- the spiders Just out of reach --- the zombiesBad little woman ---the wheels EElectric shares --- the radiators (from space)Cosmonaut -- riff raffMelody Lee --- the damnedOut of control --- thee milkshakes miniskirt blues the vibesI can only give you everything ---naz nomad and the nightmaresC C Rider --- the delmonasReaching my head ---- the prisonersIt's about time --- the bugsgpb1

Hope you enjoyed today's party selections. That concludes our tribute to RYP, I hope he likes it and finds some goodies he did not have. I always do when scoping out the great stuff he posts. Check out the Twlightzone for yourself and see.

Next up: By popular demand -- a request by our patrons -- Crime and Spy --grab your git, your fedora, and your trench coat for a trip through the dark murky smoke filled back alleys of the Lounge.

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men --- The Shadow knows --- HAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

6 comments:

hey GeorgeW,I don't know what to say - I'm missing words...... and I like them all! especially the Blue Hawaiians – Live At Lava Lounge 2 along with the Ultras! You know what I like!So a big big THANK YOU for all these gems you've posted!for sure " Fat City Cigar Lounge" got a link at TZ!

Hey All Fat City Lounge Patrons:

Lounge Rules:No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service. Just Kidding. Come as you are, you can even take your clothes off when you dance. (In the back room).For Real:1. Lively Discussion is encourgaged -- foul language and other types of impunation of character is not. Evil will be deleted.

2. The Music posts are for enjoyment and evaluation purposes only. If you like it -- Please, go buy it, and support the artists who produce it and perfom it. Go to their shows, buy their t-shirts, etc. The independents we showcase need your help to make more cool music. Otherwise, You-Know-Who Wins. If you don't like what you hear, please delete it out of your computer to make room for stuff you do like.

3. All other contributions are welcome, and will be posted at proprietor's discretion

About Me

Fun stuff:
Am a musicholic - I'm 52 -- I heard my first Ventures song in '66 and have been a fan of twang ever since. Of course all the other guitar gods were added over the years, along with a lot of other great music. I have been a DJ in my younger years on air -- WPFW and in clubs and currently produce a local television show about the performing arts.